Imagine a beautiful love story with no happy ending. That’s romantic drama movies summed up for you. A love story with no “and they lived happily ever after.” We all love happy endings. However, it’s the sad or tragic endings that stay in our memories the longest. Perhaps we are affected by the surprise factor. People remember moments that made them feel different or provoked strong emotions. In romance movies, the natural ending we expect is a happy one. We feel confused, unsettled, and even devastated when we don’t get one.
And these are the emotions that our brains remember more easily. And that’s not just empty words; that’s science. Have you ever wondered why our brain likes to bring up bad memories from our past and torture us with negative emotions we try to forget? It turns out that people remember highly emotional events better than neutral events. And it appears that the best drama movies seem to exploit this human ‘weakness.’ However, suppose we sprinkle some romance into the drama. In that case, we end up with a film genre hybrid, romantic drama movies.
And these romantic drama movies are the biggest tear-jerkers in the industry. We get involved in the love story only to be tossed into a whirlwind of emotions. Heck, it feels like it’s our hearts that get ripped out of our chests by the closing credits. These romance drama movies and their directors surely know how to hit the soft spot and catch us at our most vulnerable!
If you’re searching for emotional romantic dramas, ‘Tell Me Lies’ is a perfect choice. This series stands out with its deep plot and talented actors. Learn more about the Tell Me Lies cast and their compelling performances.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of the saddest romance and drama movies we were able to find. So prepare for a rollercoaster of emotions because just looking at some of these film posters will bring back all the feels. And make sure you have tissues nearby. However, if you are not in the mood to bawl your eyes out tonight, check out these top romance movies instead!
#1 The Notebook
2004 | 2 hours 3 minutes | Directed by Nick Cassavetes
Starring Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Rachel McAdams
Here it is. The #1 romantic drama movie. The epitome of perfection. The Notebook is, arguably, the best romantic drama movie that will stick in one’s memories as long as one roams this Earth. It is a lovely and emotional tale. The love narrative isn’t shallow and makes you reflect on how quickly time flies by. The script and lines are excellent, and director Nick Cassavetes succeeds in creating a film that evokes a range of emotions in the viewer, from exhilarating joy to utter sadness. The scenes played between Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) are hard to put into words, even if you are not a romantic person. If we could pick just one movie about love that everyone should see, it would be The Notebook.
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#2 Me Before You
2016 | 1 hour 46 minutes | Directed by Thea Sharrock
Starring Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Janet McTeer
The movie’s plot follows Louisa (Emilia Clarke), who finds work caring for Will (Sam Claflin), a young millionaire confined to a wheelchair due to an accident. Louisa tries her best to put up with Will at first, even though he initially does not want her there. When “Lou” first meets Will, she discovers a young man who has lost all hope for life and is bitter, cynical, and depressed. However, they quickly become good friends; she teaches him to appreciate life once more, and he shows her how to live adventurously. You will feel both happy and sad after seeing this very bittersweet film. This is a rare movie in which the original book’s author (Jojo Moyes) collaborated with a director (Thea Sharrock) to adapt the book for the screen. The outcome is a story that could have been pessimistic, but is instead an enlightening emotional trip. It is a breath of fresh air to find this movie among all the murder and killing, macabre vampire or other monster stories, and overblown CGI comic book adventures.
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#3 The Fault In Our Stars
2014 | 2 hours 6 minutes | Directed by Josh Boone
Starring Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff
Simply put, this film is worth every second of its 126-minute duration. Even the closing credits are worth watching as they give you enough time to dry your eyes before you leave the movie theater. It’s an inspiring tale of two young people who, you know, will die someday, just like the rest of us. However, one of them precisely knows the date and the reason why, which is not from old age. This one hits right in the feels. It makes you rethink your values and appreciate the time you spend with your loved ones. Besides being a great movie on its own, it’s also a perfectly faithful adaptation of the book.
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#4 Requiem For A Dream
2000 | 1 hour 42 minutes | Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly
The film’s plot revolves around four people in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, who are all driven to despair due to drug misuse. The impact of drugs on one’s life is the subject of this film. The story is genuine and well-acted, but it is dreadful and painful to watch. Although you will be glad you saw this movie, you may not want to watch it again because it is a mood killer and makes you rethink all the wrongdoings in society. Not everyone will enjoy this film because it’s a heavy one. Definitely not the one to take your mind off things. However, it embodies independent filmmaking in its purest form. This risky, captivating, artistic movie sticks with you long after you leave the theater. This is not Hollywood glitz and glamour. And that’s the strength of this film.
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#5 A Walk To Remember
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#6 Revolutionary Road
2008 | 1 hour 59 minutes | Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Christopher Fitzgerald
The fact that Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were reunited in this film following 1997’s Titanic was alone a good enough reason to see the movie. However, the movie appeared to be a big success on its own merit. In this Richard Yates story, we enter the relationship of Frank and April Wheeler. A young married couple, brilliantly portrayed by DiCaprio and Winslet, appears to be on the verge of emotional and marital collapse. Their growing desperation and dissatisfaction with their town and relationship make them think of an escape. This critically acclaimed historical drama shows the potential futility and even violence of the American Dream. Revolutionary Road is not a film that is a lot of fun and easy to watch. However, it succeeds in doing something that not many movies do anymore, beyond being merely entertaining. It hopes to serve as a lesson.
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#7 Titanic
1997 | 3 hours 14 minutes | Directed by James Cameron
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane
It’s unlikely that anyone would not be aware of what Titanic is about. You can pretty much find everything on the Titanic. It has action and romance, a period drama, and a tragedy. The stunning beauty of the movie’s indoor and exterior set designs draws you in. It has the right appearance and feel to it. And when the unavoidable catastrophe happens, the director snatches you up and takes you through every agonizing moment in excruciating detail, making it arguably one of the best disaster scenes in film history. It also has humor and wit. In conclusion, Titanic is as close to the ideal cinema experience as you’re ever likely to get. It’s one of a kind.
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#8 Blue Valentine
2010 | 1 hour 52 minutes | Directed by Derek Cianfrance
Starring Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, John Doman
Not your typical Valentine’s Day film, this one. The drama is intense, and the relationships are presented rather harshly. It’s about how strong, genuine feelings can burn out and transform into “ugly love.” The movie follows the two protagonists’ relationship, played by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. It develops from being young and in love to becoming a strained, failing marriage. However, you get drawn in by how authentic it feels. Blue Valentine is, at times, difficult to watch and occasionally drags. However, it is a heartbreaking and powerful story nonetheless. The script is full of genuine emotional authenticity. The narrative is engaging due to its time-skipping structure and is closely observed. Undoubtedly a “must-see.”
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#9 Moonlight
2016 | 1 hour 51 minutes | Directed by Barry Jenkins
Starring Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes
Others who are sick to death with our culture’s obsession with categorizing and labeling everything may find Moonlight a breath of fresh air. Moonlight follows Chiron’s journey of self-discovery and sexuality as he grows up in a rough Miami neighborhood through three significant stages of his life: in the first, as a young boy nicknamed “Little” (Alex Hibbert), in the second as a teenager nicknamed “Chiron” (Ashton Sanders), and in the third as an adult nicknamed “Black” (Trevante Rhodes). Then, in contrast to all this, he experiences a tense relationship with his mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), develops feelings for his best friend, and goes through constant bullying throughout the school. The consequences of each are handled perfectly, illuminating problems with severe implications but calmly and thoughtfully. Although this movie depicts the challenges many black men encounter growing up in underprivileged areas, it also offers a universal plot that everyone can relate to. To watch it is simply outstanding.
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#10 Adrift
2018 | 1 hour 36 minutes | Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
Starring Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Thomas
Adrift is a survival drama based on the true story of a couple who became stranded in the Pacific Ocean and had to navigate without assistance or gear to return to Hawaii. Based on Oldham Ashcraft and Susea McGearhart’s book “Red Sky at Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea,” the movie features Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin in the roles of Tami and Richard. The title is Adrift, but the plot is anything but. The couple’s story is told consecutively with the story of the trip to Hawaii through flashbacks. This movie is highly compelling because the plot is interwoven with flashbacks and the present while incorporating dramatic and unexpected components. The film is so powerful in portraying the depths of love that it stays with you long after the movie ends.
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#11 Remember Me
2010 | 1 hour 53 minutes | Directed by Allen Coulter
Starring Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Caitlyn Rund
It’s not often that a movie leaves you speechless. However, I remember very well how, after watching it, it was hard to put my thoughts together about what I had just witnessed. Perhaps blame it on my obsession with Robert Pattinson at the time, but this one is one of my personal favorites of all time. It is a somber film, focusing more on family loss amid tragedy than romance. You go into it having a preliminary idea of how it could end. However, the ending just blows you away. This movie reawakens your emotions and causes you to feel things you thought you had come to terms with. And those emotions hit you like a ton of bricks. Beware, you might as well keep tissues by your side, just in case.
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#12 Five Feet Apart
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#13 A Star Is Born
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#14 Brokeback Mountain
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#15 If I Stay
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#16 The Vow
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#17 The Best Of Me
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#18 Amour
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#19 Monster’s Ball
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#20 Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
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#21 My Girl
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#22 Fried Green Tomatoes
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#23 Up
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#24 Life Is Beautiful
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#25 Pearl Harbor
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#26 The Phantom Of The Opera
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#27 About Time
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#28 Love, Simon
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#29 Marriage Story
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#30 Before We Go
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#31 The Time Traveler’s Wife
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#32 Her
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#33 Ghost
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#34 William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
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#35 Les Misérables
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#36 Atonement
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#37 (500) Days Of Summer
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#38 The Bodyguard
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#39 Love Story
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#40 Spider-Man: No Way Home
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#41 The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
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#42 West Side Story (1961)
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#43 The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
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#44 The Spectacular Now
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#45 The Way We Were
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#46 Silver Linings Playbook
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#47 Sophie’s Choice
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#48 Forrest Gump
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#49 The Edge Of Seventeen
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#50 Portrait Of A Lady On Fire
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#51 Boys Don’t Cry
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#52 Moulin Rouge!
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#53 All Too Well: The Short Film
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#54 A Little Bit Of Heaven
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#55 West Side Story (2021)
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#56 The Last Song
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#57 The Bridges Of Madison County
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#58 The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society
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#59 The Painted Veil
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#60 Once
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#61 Terms Of Endearment
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#62 Brain On Fire
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#63 Fatherhood
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#64 Midnight Sun
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#65 La La Land
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#66 Call Me By Your Name
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#67 If Beale Street Could Talk
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#68 Your Name.
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#69 Irreplaceable You
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#70 Every Day
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#71 Malcolm & Marie
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#72 Like Crazy
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#73 One Day
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#74 Love & Other Drugs
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#75 Autumn In New York
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#76 Never Let Me Go
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#77 The Light Between Oceans
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#78 Blue Jay
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#79 P.S. I Love You
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#80 The Lucky One
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#81 Brief Encounter
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#82 Chungking Express
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#83 It’s A Wonderful Life
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#84 All The Bright Places
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#85 The Theory Of Everything
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#86 6 Years
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#87 The Last Five Years
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#88 Charlie St. Cloud
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#89 Now Is Good
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#90 A Ghost Story
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#91 Someone Great
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#92 The Lost Husband
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#93 2 Hearts
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#94 Blue Is The Warmest Color
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#95 Shakespeare In Love
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#96 Holding The Man
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#97 The Danish Girl
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#98 Carol
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#99 Cabaret
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#100 Dear John
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